Patrick Beverley, one of many NBA’s greatest irritants, held his nostril after calling the Lakers “trash.” Karl-Anthony Cities flexed and howled and walked off the court docket, taunting the Lakers as he celebrated along with his bench.
And the Lakers, who sandwiched a good stretch of basketball with a few slices of terrible, might do nothing about it.
“It is a front-runnin’ league,” Wayne Ellington stated after the Lakers’ 124-104 loss Wednesday. “While you’re up, all the things goes nice. While you’re down, they’ll kick you.
“So proper now, we’ve been getting kicked. And groups have been having fun with it.”
It’s arduous in charge the Timberwolves; the Lakers have been such a straightforward goal.
They will’t discover the correct beginning lineup. They will’t keep wholesome. They will’t discover the correct type of play. They will’t discover the required effort, urgency or depth. The can’t rating and so they can’t defend.
And, nonetheless someway, they will’t even discover all-time low.
Sometime, they’ll run out of battle. Sometime, they gained’t discover the rope to flee a few of these holes. And sometime, these video games will likely be each bit as embarrassing as they’ve been beginning out.
Following horrific opening quarters in opposition to the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors, the Lakers had been, someway, simply as unhealthy Wednesday within the first in opposition to Minnesota.
They missed almost all the things that wasn’t proper on the rim, all 10 three-point pictures failing to undergo the basket to open the sport. They waved their fingers and hung their heads as a youthful, hungrier, extra athletic staff highlighted all of the issues the Lakers aren’t.
It’s occurred in three straight video games, and the numbers are horrifying.
Towards the Suns, Raptors, and Timberwolves the Lakers mixed to make simply certainly one of 33 three-point makes an attempt — virtually impossibly unhealthy taking pictures numbers.
“Can’t win,” LeBron James stated firmly when knowledgeable of the stat.
In these quarters, the Lakers have shot 24.6% from the sector and have been outscored by a whopping 112-51.
“Simply couldn’t put the ball within the basket,” coach Frank Vogel stated, a sense that's beginning to grow to be ordinary.
The ground might’ve completely fallen out on the Lakers, with Minnesota main by as many as 25 …however the Lakers didn’t stop.
The staff lower that result in 4 earlier than crumbling late, drained and pissed off, house owners of one more loss.
It’s not saying a lot, asking a staff to carry out its best and most essential job — to compete — however underneath the crippling disappointment of this season, there’s a silly optimism in the way in which the Lakers preserve getting up.
“There’s nonetheless extra recreation to be performed. The sport is rarely over till it’s over,” James stated of the Lakers’ battle, although he did admit this season is testing his persistence not like some other.
It’s all simply so emblematic of what this season has been — moments of positivity surrounded by unsolvable issues that finally sink the Lakers on most nights.
“One factor we’ve been in a position to do in our locker room is preserve hope alive and preserve our vitality inside our staff alive and keep constructive with one another,” Ellington stated. “Hoping for a breakthrough on the proper time.”
Wednesday, there was a quick one.
D.J. Augustin sneaked baseline to attain to make it 89-85, the Timberwolves outscored the Lakers 25-9 earlier than Vogel mercifully took James out of the sport.
Anthony Edwards carried the Timberwolves within the first half when Cities struggled with foul hassle, and Cities howled and flexed late as he put the Lakers away — the massive man simply too large, too robust and too expert for the Lakers inside.
Cities scored 16 within the fourth to ice the sport, gesturing on the Lakers bench as he checked out of the sport earlier than the buzzer.
It’s the eleventh straight highway loss for the Lakers this season and their third loss in a row.
Because the All-Star break, they’re 2-9, alive within the play-in hunt solely as a result of the groups chasing them are among the many worst within the West.
James led the Lakers with 19 factors, although he was eight of 21 with 5 turnovers.
The Lakers might simply find yourself taking part in the Timberwolves within the NBA’s play-in event, though that, too, requires some unrealistic optimism.
Minnesota is seventh within the West and threatening to maneuver greater. In the event that they don’t, the Lakers might find yourself discovering themselves again in Minneapolis taking part in one recreation for his or her season’s life (offered, after all, they survive their first take a look at within the play-in).
It’s not an amazing spot.
“On the finish of the day, you retain pushing ahead,” James stated. “I'm very comfy with being uncomfortable so, it doesn’t trouble me an excessive amount of. Clearly, I'm a competitor, I need to win. You positively get pissed off with some issues that occur on the ground, however you management what you may management. What you may’t management, you don’t fear about it. You proceed to push ahead, seeing methods you may proceed to get higher. Seeing methods you could be nice on your ballclub. Seeing methods you may proceed to guide.
“It’s straightforward to be comfy while you’re profitable. I've by no means been that man. It's all about how comfy are you able to be when issues grow to be uncomfortable.”
And James’ Lakers look a lot uncomfortable.
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